[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3209 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3209

     To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to false 
    communications about certain criminal violations, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 1, 2001

 Mr. Smith of Texas (for himself, Mr. Sensenbrenner, Mr. Conyers, Mr. 
Wolf, Mr. Scott, and Mr. Ferguson) introduced the following bill; which 
             was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to false 
    communications about certain criminal violations, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Anti-Hoax Terrorism Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. HOAXES AND RECOVERY COSTS.

    (a) Prohibition on Hoaxes.--Chapter 41 of title 18, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting after section 880 the following:
``Sec. 881. False information and hoaxes
    ``(a) Criminal Violation.--Whoever engages in any conduct--
            ``(1) knowing that the conduct is likely to impart the 
        false impression that activity is or will take place that 
        violates section 175, 229, 831, or 2332a; and
            ``(2) that causes an emergency response by governmental 
        agencies to that activity;
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, 
or both.
    ``(b) Civil Action.--Whoever engages in any conduct, knowing that 
the conduct imparts the false impression that activity is or will take 
place that violates section 175, 229, 831, or 2332a, is liable in a 
civil action to any party incurring expenses incident to the 
investigation of the conduct, for those expenses, including the cost of 
any response made by any military or civilian agency to protect public 
health or safety.
``Sec. 882. Reimbursement of costs
    ``(a) Convicted Defendant.--The court, in imposing a sentence on a 
defendant who has been convicted of an offense under section 881(a), 
shall order the defendant to reimburse any party incurring expenses 
incident to the investigation of the offense, for those expenses, 
including the cost of any response made by any military or civilian 
agency to protect public health or safety.
    ``(b) Jointly and Severally Liable.--A person ordered to make 
reimbursement under subsection (a) shall be jointly and severally 
liable for such expenses with each other person, if any, who is ordered 
to make reimbursement under that subsection for the same expenses.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 41 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding after 
the item for section 880 the following:

``881. False information and hoaxes.
``882. Reimbursement of costs.''.
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